Dispensers of sheet products in roll form are simple and reliable because the rolls are easy to load and the dispensers are very difficult to overload or overstuff. However, products in roll form present some dispensing problems. A single roll dispenser with a nearly depleted roll must be monitored carefully by maintenance personnel to avoid running out at an inconvenient moment. Changing a partially depleted roll results in wasted product. Moreover, some single roll dispensers are designed so a roll cannot be removed until it is depleted and only a core is left.
Dispensers for dispensing stacked folded sheets of paper towels and the like are well known in the art. Single sheet dispensers are generally desirable because they can be refilled when only partially depleted, as compared to roll product dispensers wherein changing a partially depleted roll may result in significant wasted product. Stacked single sheet dispensers are also desirable because they tend to be simple devices that are not subject to jamming or failure.
A disadvantage of folded stacked sheet dispensers is that they are susceptible to attempts at being overfilled or “stuffed.” Overfilling the dispenser can compress the stack of sheets and make it very difficult to remove a sheet from the dispenser. For example, the pressure against the stack may prevent a free tab or end of the sheet from becoming accessible for a user to grasp in order to withdraw the sheet. In an overfilled condition, the stack of sheets may be wedged in the dispenser so firmly that the portion of the sheet grasped by the user simply tears instead of dispensing the sheet. Friction against the dispensing opening may be increased by overfilling the dispenser making dispensing unreliable and problematic.
There is still a need in the art for improvements in stacked folded sheet dispensers for preventing overfill conditions. The present invention relates to such an improved dispenser.